This is not an exclusive. You can find and view this at Historic Films. But I make things like this easy for patrons!
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Showing posts with label Haldane of the Secret Service (1923). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haldane of the Secret Service (1923). Show all posts
Monday, April 21, 2025
Houdini in Paris
In 1920, Houdini shot footage on the streets of Paris for a film he was planning about counterfeiting. Some of that footage appeared in Haldane of the Secret Service (1923), but a lot never made the cut. Now you can watch nearly 4 minutes of that unused footage on my Patreon.
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Friday, September 29, 2023
Haldane of the Secret Service turns 100
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the release of Houdini's Haldane of the Secret Service. I'm no longer sure of the exact release day. I've seen both Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 on F.B.O. trade advertisements. I suspect the 23rd was the ship date in anticipation of exhibitors having the movie ready for a Sept. 30 release. However, not many theaters did so. Haldane doesn't really start appearing in theaters until mid-October and November.
The Unique Theatre stood at 111 South El Paso Street in El Paso, Texas. Today, a parking garage occupies the spot.
But one theater did get the new Houdini movie up early. The Unique Theater in El Paso, Texas, opened Haldene [sic] of the Secret Service on September 29, 1923. One hundred years ago today! This is the first showing of the movie I've been able to find, so unless we discover otherwise, I'll let this stand as the official premiere.
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| El Paso Times, Sept. 29, 1923. |
UPDATE: When I posted this I had no idea today is also Silent Movie Day!
Thursday, September 28, 2023
The Foolers play Houdini's Orpheum in Wichita
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| The Wichita Daily Eagle, Nov. 25, 1923. |
The Orpheum wasn't the only place you could see Houdini that week. Haldane of the Secret Service was also playing at the Holland Theater down the street. The Holland is long gone, but the Orpheum remains, so if you've always wanted to see Houdini nut Jessica Jane do her amazing feats, what better place than in a historic Houdini theater!
You can buy tickets to the Wichita Foolers show on the Orpheum website. For more tour dates check out The Foolers website.
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Thursday, September 21, 2023
Alpha Video Houdini movie bundle
Why no The Grim Game, Alpha? It's just waiting for a distributor HERE.
You can purchase Alpha's Houdini set on Amazon.com.
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Haldane of the Secret Service screening in Ogunquit
The historic Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit, Maine, which is also celebrating its centennial this year, will screen Haldane of the Secret Service on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 6 PM. Live musical accompaniment will be provided by silent movie specialist Jeff Rapsis. Admission is $12.
The Leavitt Theatre is located at 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine. For more info and to buy tickets visit their official website.
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Houdini in 1923
Let's kick off 2023 with a brief look back at what Houdini was up to 100 years ago.
The new year saw Houdini on the road for what would be his first coast to coast tour since 1915. At age 49 he was back hanging from high buildings, clocking an amazing 19 suspended straitjacket escapes in the course of the year. He once again appeared at all the major vaudeville houses in all the major cities. But he also opened himself up to the new chain of "Junior Orpheum" theaters. These required performers to do three shows a day instead of two and featured a movie as a main attraction. This brought Houdini to cities that had never experienced the escape king in person. He also toured Texas for the second time in his career.
The year would also see the release of his last film, Haldane of the Secret Service, with Houdini making personal appearances if an opening lined up with his tour. Haldane was released by F.B.O. who promoted the film as a cavalcade of Houdini's greatest escapes. That isn't what audiences got and the movie was received poorly. But Houdini seemed unfazed by the failure of his final Houdini Picture Corporation production. He had moved on from movies and was focusing more of his time energy on his new passion; spiritualism.
If theater managers feared audiences had forgotten Houdini during his five year hiatus from vaudeville, those fears were quickly put to rest. Houdini was as popular as ever. His movies had provided an avalanche of publicity and audiences were thrilled to now see "Houdini in Person." What they saw was the same act he had presented years earlier; Needles, straitjacket, The Water Torture Cell, and challenges from local businesses. He did experiment with a few new feats, such as being tied to a post inside a ring of burning flames in San Fransisco. He also may have tried his Water Torture Cell escape in full view of the audience in a few select theaters.
Having given spiritualistic debunking demonstrations as part of his The Man From Beyond roadshow the previous year, Houdini now presented a more fleshed-out lecture, compete with a slide show. He gave these in several cities on his tour as well as at colleges. Publicity for his lecture in Los Angeles eclipsed his regular act at the Hillstreet Theatre, especially as he had become embroiled in a bizarre spirit photograph mystery at the First Spiritualist Church. But Angelenos could still see the old Houdini in action with a suspended straitjacket escape from the Examiner building and an escape from a ball and chain at the bottom of the swimming pool at the Ambassador Hotel (possibly his last outdoor water escape).
Always quick to embrace new technology, Houdini began giving short talks on radio, spelling out his beliefs on spiritualism and giving magic lessons. He also became a Mason.
While appearing in Denver, Houdini met up with his friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was in town on his own lecture tour. The subject of spiritualism, which had initially bound them, was now putting a strain on the friendship. Doyle was especially troubled by a splashy multipart series of articles that appeared in the Oakland Tribune under the banner headline, Houdini Unmasks the Mediums. "It is so filled with errors that I don't know where to begin," said Doyle. The author felt compelled to write a detailed rebuttal in the paper, bringing their private debate into the public and putting more strain on their friendship.
Houdini's high profile position on Spiritualism earned him an invitation to join a committee formed by the Scientific American magazine that would investigate claims of true mediumship. This gave Houdini the opportunity to go head to head with notable mediums of the day, such as George Valiantine and Nino Pecoraro. These colorful encounters garnered headlines across the country. While Houdini may have started the year in his old guise of Mystifier, he ended it with a new identity; Debunker.
On Christmas Eve, Conan Doyle penned Houdini an angry letter, stating, "You can't bitterly and offensively--often also untruly--attack a subject and yet expect courtesies from those who honor that subject."
Houdini's answer might have best been expressed by the old show business axiom; You ain't seen nothing yet!
Want more? This month I'm offering patrons an exclusive PDF preview of my Ultimate Houdini Chronology, showing everything Houdini was up to in 1923. This is the first reward of the new year and a special one. Just click below to go.
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Haldane turns 99
This week marks the 99th anniversary of the release of Houdini's last film, Haldane of the Secret Service. This is Houdini's most maligned movie, but I am not a Haldane hater. I enjoy it every bit as much as The Man From Beyond, maybe more. I always enjoy watching it on its anniversary and will do so this weekend. So here's to Haldane!
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| The Times Herald, Dec. 14, 1923. |
Below are some posts that cover the little-covered production of Haldane of the Secret Service.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Exploring Houdini's Austin
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Austin, Texas, where Houdini appeared twice during his career. It's a great city with some great Houdini history, so let's raise the curtain and get into it!
1916
"Austin is a beautiful place and I will not be here long. I would like to see the town, to do my acts and to be peaceful. But there is something in the air. I have not opened my mail and will not until tomorrow. There should be a challenge in it. You know, this place surprises me. It looks a lot bigger than they tell me it is. And you have in the Majestic one of the finest theaters in the Southwest. It would be a credit to any city."
Originally booked for only two days, Houdini proved such a draw that he was held over for the full week. Because the rest of the company moved on to Arkansas, Houdini expanded his act to an hour and the remainder of the Majestic's bill was filled out with a Theda Bara film, The Serpent.
Houdini featured his Water Torture Cell, Needles, and accepted challenges from the Walter Tips Co. (roped chair) and E.M. Scarbrough & Sons (packing case). But the most heavily advertised challenge came from five University of Texas students to escape from a packing case made on stage. The escape took place on Friday, February 11, with Houdini breaking free in 12 minutes. He then demolished the box onstage and handed out signed shards as souvenirs.
The Majestic was still a relatively new theater when Houdini appeared there. It opened in October of the previous year and offered everything from vaudeville to traveling stage shows and films. It was renamed the Paramount in 1930.
Happily, the Paramount Theater still stands today. It remains a very popular venue for Austin's thriving music and theatre scene. I might even go as far to say the Paramount is the best preserved of any Houdini theater in the United States. Yes, I realize there's the Palace in New York City, but from the outside that theatre is unrecognizable from Houdini's time. But Houdini would have no problem recognizing his "Theater Beautiful" today.
During my trip I was thrilled to get a private tour of the Paramount alongside Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of the Theatre & Performing Arts collections at the Harry Ransom Center. It was pretty wild to stand on a stage that Houdini stood on, and see backstage which is pretty much as it was in Houdini's time. Even the loading dock door is still the original. Just think, Houdini's Water Torture Cell rolled through this door.
The biggest thrill of our tour was when our guide, Pasquale Del Villaggio, Director of Production and Technical Services, lowered the original asbestos fire curtain. This dates all the way back to the theater's first days and is what audiences would have seen the night of Houdini performances. It's rarely lowered for obvious reasons. Even many of the staff had never seen it. So to have this lowered just for us was huge honor and an exciting moment, captured on video by Eric.
The Paramount is well aware of its Houdini history. A nice collection of historical clippings, given to the theater by the local S.A.M. Assembly 206, hangs in the offices. Their lounge is called the "Houdini Lounge". Even their wifi password has a Houdini connection (but I won't share that!). There's also the famous hole above the stage that is supposed to have been made by Houdini for a trick. But I'll leave that one for others to debate.
To promote his Austin appearance, Houdini performed a suspended straitjacket escape from the Littlefield building at 6th & Congress. Named for George Washington Littlefield, this classical Beaux-Arts building was erected in 1912. Houdini was suspended at the fifth floor from rigging on the roof. Unfortunately, the only photo of the escape that I'm been able to find is of Houdini and his challenger, Chief of Police Morris, so I don't know precisely where he hung.
The Littlefield building still stands as a Texas Historic Landmark and it's a beauty! Like the Paramount, I'd put this among the best preserved Houdini locations in the country.
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| Austin American Statesman, Feb. 10, 1916. |
1923
Houdini returned to Austin in 1923, once again on tour with Karl Hoblitzelle's Interstate vaudeville circuit. He arrived in the city on November 15 and appeared that night at a rally in the Women's Gym at the University of Texas. Papers reported that Houdini "consented to appear at the rally to help the girls in making the thing go off big." Today the Student Union building stands on that spot.
This time Houdini played two days, November 16-17, at the Hancock Opera House on West 6th St. The Hancock was designed by Frederick Ernst Ruffini and dates back to 1896. The theater became Austin's home for Interstate vaudeville when the Majestic began featuring first run movies (this week it was The Spanish Dancer with Pola Negri). Houdini presented his Needles, straitjacket, and also the spirit slates. It's possible the theater couldn't accommodate his Water Torture Cell as there is no mention of the escape in the reviews.
The Hancock became the Capitol Theater in 1935 and operated until 1963. Today a modern office building stands on the site of Houdini's second Austin theater.
To promote his appearance, Houdini reportedly once again did a suspended straitjacket escape from the Littlefield building, making it the only building in which he ever repeated the stunt. [While this escape is noted in Ron Cartlidge's excellent Houdini's Texas Tours, I'm still seeking firm confirmation.] He also accepted a challenge from the Barker Motor Company to escape a packing case. The best part of this challenge might be the fantastic photo it gave us below!
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| The Austin American, Nov. 17, 1923. |
Houdini also spoke this week to the Young Men's Business League at the Driskill Hotel. He warned of the dangers of spiritualism, giving attendees a taste of the Houdini to come. The Driskill is where Houdini stayed during his 1916 engagement and likely in 1923 as well.
Now owned by Hyatt, the Driskill is a jewel of downtown Austin. Walking inside is like stepping into a time capsule, and it's easy to imagine Houdini striding through the lobby. It also sits adjacent to the Littlefield building, which I never knew until my visit. In fact, all these downtown Houdini locations are within blocks of each other.
Houdini graced yet another stage in Austin this week. The Crescent Theater at 920 N. Congress Avenue played Haldane of the Secret Service during the Friday and Saturday Houdini was in town. It was reported that Houdini would make a personal appearance at the theater during the run. So you really couldn't escape Houdini in Austin during these two days!
The Crescent operated until 1931. While no longer a theater space, the building that stands on the site today appears to be the same structure. So here's Houdini's third Austin theater!
1958
The story of Houdini in Austin doesn't end in 1923. Houdini returned in 1958. Yes, 1958!
Ironically, it was once again Karl Hoblitzelle who brought Houdini back to the city, this time permanently, when he purchased the Messmore Kendall Collection for the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Kendall had acquired Houdini's theatrical collection and personal papers from Bess in 1927. So the collection that arrived in Austin in June 1958 was loaded with a lifetime of Houdiniana!
Below you can see a photo of that historic day and the same location as it appears today.
Today Houdini lives in Austin at the magnificent Harry Ransom Center, which is where we will be exploring next! Stay tuned.
My thanks to Erin Waelder, Pasquale Del Villaggio, and all the staff of the Paramount Theater for the unforgettable tour. Jim Nicar for the Women's Gym pic. Ray Anderson of Esther's Follies, which is a must see show in Austin (yes, there's a Houdini reference). And Eric Colleary of course!
Want more? You can view and download 30+ newspaper clippings related to Houdini in Austin as a "Scholar" member of my Pateron by clicking the image below. "Handcuff King" patrons and non-patrons can purchase this research file HERE.
Monday, November 29, 2021
The Houdini Picture Corporation's last stand
Here's an interesting trade advertisement that is as much an ad for the Houdini Picture(s) Corporation as it is for its latest (and last) production, Haldane of the Secrets Service.
It fascinating to see Houdini promoting his film company at this particular time. The company had been formed in February 1921 with a $500,000 capitalization and a plan to produce four movies a year. But by November 1923, when this ad appeared in Moving Picture World, the HPC had only made two films and had vacated its offices in the Candler Building on 42nd Street and was now located inside Houdini's home.
Perhaps after making his distribution deal with Film Booking Offices of America, Houdini thought there might be life in his film business after all. This ad certainly seems to point to a new future. Notice how it says that "Houdini Productions" (plural) are distributed by FBO. Also remember this post about Houdini planning a film version of Miracle Mongers and Their Methods.
However, Haldane of the Secret Service would be the only Houdini Picture distributed by FBO (which would be folded into the new RKO in 1928), and this marked the last stand for the Houdini Picture Corporation. The HPC remained one of Houdini's several dormant companies until his death. In December 1936 the state of New York dissolved the corporation for failing to pay its franchise taxes.
Interestingly, the Houdini Picture Corporation did live again. In 1996 Geno Munari of Houdini's Magic Shop and collector Sid Radner revived the company name with plans to produced magic instructional videos. I'm not sure where the company stands today, but I love the logo!
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
The silent cinema of Harry Houdini
It's my pleasure to offer up my contribution to the Silent Movie Day Blogathon which is being co-hosted by Silent-ology and In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood. My topic? Take a guess...
While Houdini had made a short film in Paris in 1909 (Les merveilleux exploits de Houdini à Paris), his first real entry into narrative cinema was a 15-part serial called The Master Mystery. Independently produced through Octagon Films, The Master Mystery was shot in and around New York and New Jersey. The first episode debuted in November 1918. The serial was aggressively advertised with Houdini making personal appearances at movie houses. It proved to be a surprising success, although Houdini would later have to sue Octagon for his share of the profits.
The success of The Master Mystery got the attention of Hollywood, and in 1919 Houdini headed to the coast to make The Grim Game for Famous Players-Lasky. The movie was shot in and around Los Angeles and Hollywood and became newsworthy when two planes collided in mid-air while filming a stunt. The footage of the plane crash would remain in the movie and featured heavily in advertising, although the fact that it was a stuntman and not Houdini involved in he accident was kept secret. The movie was directed by Irvin Willat and co-stars Ann Forrest and Mae Busch.
Impressed by The Grim Game, Famous Players-Lasky decided to rush a second Houdini movie into production before the end of 1919. Houdini postponed a European tour and returned to Hollywood to begin work on Terror Island. The film was shot at the Lasky Hollywood studio and on location in Riverside and Catalina Island. This time the director was James Cruze and co-starred Lila Lee.
Hollywood may have cooled on Houdini as a movie star, but Houdini was still willing to bet on himself. In 1921 he formed the Houdini Picture Corporation and produced two films back to back. The first was The Man From Beyond, shot at the Tilford Cinema Studios in Manhattan and on location in Lake Placid, New Jersey, and Niagara Falls. The Master Mystery director Burton King returned and Houdini's co-star was fellow vaudevillian Jane Connolly in her only movie role. The script was written by Houdini himself and it shows.
The second and last movie made by the Houdini Picture Corporation was Haldane of the Secret Service. The movie was shot in and around New York in 1921. Additional footage taken during Houdini's European tour the previous year was incorporated into the film to give it a globetrotting flavor. Burton King returned to direct, although his name does not appear on the surviving credits. Houdini is now generally credited as director, writer and star. Gladys Leslie co-stars. While Houdini distributed The Man From Beyond via state rights, Haldane was released by FBO in 1923.
It's probably the least known part of Houdini's storied career that he made several silent movies and even ran his own movie studio for a time. This may be because his foray into the movies is considered one of his few failures. But during the waning days of vaudeville his movies kept his name and exploits before the public and only increased his fame. And the fact that his movies are still screened and enjoyed 100 years later is certainly some form of cinematic success.
So for National Silent Movie Day today, I thought I'd offer a rundown of Houdini's movies; the good, the bad, and how they can be seen today.
The Master Mystery (1918)
The plot of The Master Mystery finds Houdini as Department of Justice agent Quentin Locke infiltrating International Patents who are buying up breakthrough inventions for the sole purpose of repressing them. One of these inventions is a hulking robot called The Automaton, who leads a gang against Locke at every turn. It's wonderful stuff with Houdini/Locke escaping two death traps per episode. The movie co-stars Marguerite Marsh and Ruth Stonehouse and was directed by Burton King. The Automaton is said to be cinema's very first robot. I'll leave that for others to debate.
The Master Mystery was released on VHS in 1998 and then as part of Kino's Houdini The Movie Star DVD set in 2008. That DVD is now out of print and the serial has yet to make it to streamers, but it can be found on YouTube. However, this commercial version is severely truncated, missing many escapes and some episodes entirely. The complete serial does survive in the collection of the Packard Humanities Institute and can be viewed at the UCLA Archives. Here's hoping the full version will be released some day because it is a delight.
The Grim Game (1919)
The Grim Game is well-tailored to Houdini and easily his best movie. The Hitchcockian plot still holds up today. Houdini plays reporter Harvey Hanford who sets out to prove the folly of circumstantial evidence by framing himself for the "murder" of his fiancée's uncle whom he knows is simply away on business. But when the man turns up dead, Hanford suddenly finds himself accused of the crime and in a master frame of his own creation that takes would take a Houdini to escape.
The Grim Game was considered a lost film until TCM acquired the last known print from collector Larry Weeks and debuted a restored version at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood in 2015. The movie aired on TCM that same year. But it has never repeated and a planned DVD release never materialized. It is currently streaming on the TV Time app. Here's hoping someone will license the home video rights, which are available via Park Circus, and do a proper DVD release of this Houdini's best film.
Terror Island (1920)
Terror Island finds inventor Harry Harper (Houdini) seeking sunken treasure and the missing father of the heroine on a South Seas island populated by cannibals and criminals out to secure the treasure for themselves. The movie showcases innovative underwater photography, but even at the time the plot was considered old fashioned and more suited to a serial. The movie did not achieve the creative or commercial success of Houdini's previous work, and despite promises of more films to come, Terror Island marked his last Hollywood production.
Terror Island is available on DVD, streaming and YouTube. However, this only surviving print, sourced from the Library of Congress, is missing two reels containing two of the movie's three escapes. So modern viewers must contend with this and the stereotypical portrayal of the natives typical of adventure movies of this era. But it's still Houdini and it does contain some classic early Hollywood thrills.
The Man From Beyond (1922)
The Man From Beyond tells the story of a man frozen in Arctic ice for 100 years. He's discovered by two explores and thawed out in 1920 where he meets the reincarnation of his long lost love. The film is a strange amalgamation of action and melodrama that reflects Houdini's growing interest in spiritualism at this time. While the entire enterprise seems amateurish, especially when compared to Houdini's Hollywood productions, it's still a compelling document of Houdini's psyche and the thrilling climax at Niagara Falls still holds up.
The Man From Beyond has always been the Houdini film most accessible to the public. Prints were sold in 16mm and 8mm as early as the 1960s. It was also released on VHS by Video Yesteryear in the 1980s. Today several versions are available on DVD and there's even a Blu-Ray restoration. It's also available for streaming and on YouTube.
Haldane of the Secret Service (1923)
Haldane of the Secret Service returns to formula action with Houdini playing Department of Justice agent Heath Haldane on the trail of counterfeiters and a mysterious gang boss known as Mr. Yu. The movie isn't as bad as its reputation, and Haldane/Houdini's escape from a giant water wheel is one of his best. However, the movie was poorly received and even Houdini didn't do much promotion for it. But by 1923 he was on his way to a new career exposing fraudulent mediums and happy to leave movies behind.
Haldane of the Secret Service was unavailable for many years until a complete print was screened at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles in 2007. This led to a DVD release. Today it can be found on streaming and on YouTube.
I hope you enjoyed this brief retrospective of Harry Houdini's silent film work. Happy National Silent Movie Day!
The Man From Beyond poster image courtesy the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Watch Sherman Grinberg's Houdini found footage (1/2)
Today I'm thrilled to finally be able to share this footage with everyone. This comes courtesy of Lance Watsky and the Sherman Grinberg Film Library. I'm
starting with REEL ONE. While I've embedded it below for
convenience, this is HD quality so I encourage you to watch it on YouTube
where you can enlarge it for best results.
This first reel is made up of footage that will be familiar to some. But
the quality is what makes it so remarkable. For comparison, check
out the way this footage is normally seen compared to the Sherman Grinberg
footage (below). Yes, this is the same shot! This is just an example of how much
quality matters and how it can reveal details we never knew were
there.
The quality also helps us identify and date some of these clips for the
first time. Mostly notably is the footage of Houdini and magician Harry
Kellar. From the now visible landmarks, this appears to be New York's Times
Square in November 1917. Kellar was in town to participate in a
benefit that Houdini
was producing at the New York Hippodrome.
In the photo below you can see the landmarks that appear in the footage, such as
the Variety office, Loews New York, and even the subway
construction crane Houdini would use for a suspended straitjacket escape on November 5, 1917, to promote the Hippodrome show. Houdini and Kellar are exiting the
front door of the Hotel Astor (red arrow).
|
| It's only a single frame, but there's the crane! |
The Kellar footage continues at Hardeen's home in Flatbush, where the
Houdinis were living at this time. How do we know this is Hardeen's house?
Check out the now very visible address on the steps behind them!
Below is a full breakdown of Reel One with some insights this
footage provides.
00:00:13 - Houdini is tied to a table by monks. Shot in 1921 on the set of Haldane of the Secret Service (Houdini Picture Corp., 1923). Not part of the movie. One of the monks is Houdini's chief assistant, Jim Collins.00:02:00 - Houdini and magician Harry Kellar exit the Astor Hotel in Time Square, New York, and get into a car being driven by Houdini’s brother, Theo Hardeen. November 1917.00:02:26 - Harry Houdini taking bows in 1917.00:02:35 - Close shot of magician Harry Kellar in 1917. Notice his vanishing eye glasses.00:02:41 - Houdini, Bess Houdini, and Harry Kellar greeting each other in front Theo Hardeen’s home at 394 East 21st Street, Flatbush, New York (the Houdinis were living with the Hardeens at this time). 1917.00:02:45 - Harry Kellar shows Houdini how to tie a knot. Filmed at 394 East 21st Street, Flatbush, NY. 1917.00:03:11 - Houdini, Theo Hardeen, and Harry Kellar in front of Hardeen’s Flatbush home performing the Kellar Rope Tie. 1917. Dog seen in background is Houdini’s dog, Bobby.00:03:34 - Houdini performs a stunt on the set of The Man From Beyond (Houdini Picture Corp., 1922). Filmed in 1921. This does not appear in the final movie.00:04:32 - Houdini and director Burton King review the script on the set of The Man From Beyond (Houdini Picture Corp., 1922). Filmed in 1921. Note the cameraman writes scene number 54 on the slate.00:04:49 - Bess touches up Houdini's makeup on the set of The Man From Beyond (Houdini Picture Corp., 1922). They share a shy kiss. Filmed in 1921.00:05:15 - Overboard box escape from The Master Mystery (Octagon Films, 1918). This footage appears in Episode 5. [Trimmed by YouTube due to a copyright claim.]00:05:33 - Close shot of Houdini’s handcuffed hands. Date unknown. This shot is sometimes seen inserted into Houdini’s short film, The Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris (Films Lux, 1909).00:05:43 - Houdini in water holding handcuffs. Red bathing suit. Date unknown. Likely filmed to be inserted into existing footage of past bridge jumps.00:06:12 - Houdini in water holding handcuffs. White bathing trunks. Date unknown. Likely filmed to be inserted into existing footage of past bridge jumps.
Next up is REEL TWO which contains footage that has never appeared anywhere before. It's "the Houdini film you weren't supposed to see."
Thanks again to Lance Watsky. This footage is available to license for use. If interested,
you can contact Lance via the Sherman Grinberg Film Library website.
Additional thanks to Joe Notaro at
Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence
and the
Houdini Museum in Scranton.
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